Grumman American Avn AA-5B N4540L

Summary

On 1 November 2008 at about 21:04 local time, a Grumman American Avn AA-5B registered N4540L, operated by Blue Sky Flight, was involved in an accident near Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 November 2008 at 21:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Bridgeport/Sikorsky (BDR)

Coordinates

41.1636, -73.1261

Aircraft

Grumman American Avn AA-5B

Registration

N4540L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Blue Sky Flight

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bridgeport → Bridgeport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA034

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's loss of directional control during landing and while suffering symptoms of vertigo.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot of the Grumman AA5B stated he was maneuvering in his local training area when he experienced symptoms of "vertigo." The pilot was on a westerly heading in the late afternoon, looking through the propeller, at the onset of the symptoms. He managed to navigate back to his home airport, but during the landing, lost directional control, departed the runway, and collided with an airport sign. The pilot was not injured, but examination of his medical records revealed he was treated by a physician for symptoms of vertigo in the days following the accident. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3A), flicker vertigo is defined as: "A disorienting condition caused from flickering light off the blades of the propeller."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.